The Professionals Circuit Archive - The Ride	     The Ride

 

by Slantedlight 

 
 *post Wild Justice*

 The dark rushed past him, wrapped him, swallowed him whole. The roar of
the bike under him was loud. There was no sight, no sound but the dark.

 *"You wreck my bike, I'll burn your rubber duck".
 "Aren't we going to stay and watch him? Cheer him on?"
 "You want to watch these clowns? Not me."
 "Is it really dangerous, what they're going to do?"
 "Depends who's riding the bikes."
 "Is it dangerous?"*

 'Course it was dangerous. Everything was dangerous. Dangerous to go so
fast, to push so hard. To rush screaming into the night. Why'd they done
it? Too fast, too fast, too fast. The tyres were gonna slide right out
from under them, road merciless. Nothing he could do to keep them straight
now.

 *Hot flesh on hot flesh. Anger become desperation.
 "Why'd you do it, mate?" Holding him to the wall, forearm across his
throat.
 Eyes steady into his. Deep. Blue.
 "Christ, Bodie, why wouldn't you *talk* to me?"
 Gentle hands raising his arms above them both until he collapsed, leaning
on him then, length to length.
 Lips to lips.
 No coming back from this.*

 The world was a blur around him. There were stars overhead. No lights
here. Just the beam from his own headlamp, wavering through the night air.
Blunted in the occasional patch of vapour.

 *"Where's Bodie?"
 "Who cares?"
 "You were meant to keep an eye on him."
 "Yeah, that was before I found out what he was up to. My eyes got
tired."*

 Not a very strong light. Not steady. He crossed the hard shoulder once or
twice, rumble strip reverberating beneath him. Important to stay awake.
Keep his eyes open.

 *"Ah, a little help from my friends, eh?"
 "Oh, no, no, no. Any trouble you get into, mate, you're on your own."
 Hadn't known there'd be trouble. Not real trouble. Wouldn't have left him
if he'd known. Promise, sunshine, wouldn't have left you.*

 White lines flashing underneath him. Not separate at this speed, blurred
together, impossible that one ended and the next began.

 *He'd left him on his own. No use demanding to know what was wrong
afterwards. Should have faced him down before that. Why hadn't he? Why
hadn't he known? Not been the same since he met *her*. But he survived
losing* her*. Now it was different*. What if it happened again? *He
couldn't stand it to happen again. He couldn't stand it if Bodie walked
away from him.*

 Orange neon pouring down suddenly. A break in the central reservation. A
forbidden turn. Gunned the engine back up and screamed down the motorway.

 *Right. Don't slow down then. Everything shakes when you slow down.
Separates. Let the road blur and the lights blaze, and the stars become
streaks. Go.*

 The dark rushed past him, wrapped him, swallowed him whole.

 -- THE END --

 *January 2006*

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